The present invention relates to a note sorting and counting apparatus for drawing out one by one notes (or bills) accumulated in a stack to accommodate or transfer them into different containers according to the denomination of note, respectively.
With conventional note sorting and counting apparatus, notes accumulated are drawn out one by one to sort them according to the denomination of note to temporarily reserve the notes which have been sorted according to the denomination of note. After an operation is conducted to sort and reserve notes in connection with notes to be processed once, upon completion of such sorting and reserving processes, notes are accommodated or transfer into a container. When a temporary reserving unit is filled with notes, an operator takes out them once by hand. Accordingly, this is inconvenient in that the operator always must attend to the machine.
Further, since notes within the temporary reserving unit are automatically accommodated into the container per each processing, when the amount of notes subject to sorting processing at a time is relatively small, accommodating operation must be frequently carried out, resulting in prolonged work hours.
Assume now that notes are drawn out every a predetermined number of notes with the conventional sorting and counting apparatus. Even when drawing out of notes is immediately stopped at the time when a predetermined number of notes are counted, some notes have been already taken out by a take-out unit. These notes are conveyed to a reject unit separately provided. In this instance, they are mixed with abnormal notes. In addition, since some notes are transferred to the reject unit every time drawing out of a predetermined number of notes occurs. As a result, it is possible that an operator selects only normal notes or that the operator is burdened in that the reject unit is frequently filled with notes, so that the operator must often draw out them.
When notes drawn out are discriminated in the discrimination unit, notes showing the reverse or back side, a chain of notes, notes abnormal in thickness (two thicknesses of notes) or notes obliquely shifted are rejected. It is reasonable to reject forged or false notes, etc. However, because the above-mentioned notes are not normal solely in their conveying condition in spite of the fact that they are normal, they are caused to be rejected. As a result, these notes cannot be sorted and counted.